Mimi's Bucket List!

A few weeks ago, Geraldine Woodell hosted a night of scrapbooking at her home for a few of us ladies, and it was tons of fun! I came home from that evening looking at boxes of photos that I had never archived properly, wondering how on earth I would ever get around to organizing them in particular themes, getting some supplies together, and finding inspiration for page layouts. When I was browsing some sites for ideas, I came across a link to a concept called faithbooking, and all of a sudden a lightbulb went off in my head! All the inspiration I could ever hope for came flooding into my head, and the excitement flared!

Most of you know that I've recently started the journey to renewing my faith, and it's been such an uplifting, empowering experience! How better to share all I've learned than in a creative setting? As an added perk, it has been such a great source of motivation for my studies! My first page was a tribute to the key people responsible for getting me back on track with my faith; John and Jan Hite, and Jim and Geraldine Woodell. I also incorporated a beautiful card that was sent to me from Pam Stephenson, who helped me come up with the scriptures on the page. She has one of the sweetest, most giving spirits any student could dream of in a teacher!

"Remember those who led you. who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith"
~Hebrews 13:1



My second page was inspired by one of the other girls in our Sunday class, Mr. and Mrs. Hite's daughter, Angie. She has the greatest story of overcoming adversity and obstacles, and is truly a great example of how God can and will get you through anything as long as you seek and follow Him. "Footprints" speaks more to me now thanks to Angie.

"The Lord makes firm the steps of those who delight in him."
~Psalm 37:23



This third page was difficult for me to get through since it was on forgiveness. To date, this is the toughest lesson I've had to learn. Strangely enough, the past couple of weeks at church, the services had to do with forgiveness! I learned that forgiving someone or asking someone for forgiveness doesn't necessarily mean that relationships can or will be reconciled, but I can honestly say that since I've grown to accept that the most hurtful experiences I've had in my life to date may never bring certain people knocking on my door asking for forgiveness, I feel great for being able to forgive them! It doesn't mean I have to have a relationship with them, in or out of the church environment, but it has definitely strengthened my relationship with God! Isn't that the one that counts most?

"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."
~Mark 22:25



It all comes down to faith, doesn't it? The center piece around this page is an image that is probably in every Korean-Christian household. Can you see his face in the shadows of the snow? If you can't see his face just yet, have faith that it is there! All you have to do is seek it! There were so many scriptures I wanted to put on this page, so I had to figure out how to keep it organized, and yet be able to continuously add to it, so I made a little pocket and cut a slit in the protective page so that I can keep adding as many tags as I can fit in there!

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see."
~Hebrews 11:1

So now some of the things you may need to get started! I went a little overboard, and probably don't need half of what I've accumulated, but there are some essentials you'll definitely need. I did my research before buying any costly items to see if they were worth the added cost. Two of the items I highly recommend are the Making Memories 12 by 12-Inch Folding Paper Trimmer At first I was tempted to go with a cheaper cutter, but after doing some research, I found that this particular cutter has a self-sharpening blade so I'll save in the long-run with the cost of replacement blades adding up quick!

The second item I knew I needed would be a travel bag for toting around my essentials that would hold up with time, so I splurged on the cutest little tote from ScrapBug SD1402 So Debbie Pink Polka-Dot Shoulder Tote

Don't let the description fool you! It's in no way little! I was shocked at the size of the box that arrived, expecting an oversized messenger bag when I read that it was a shoulder tote. It's HUGE! It even has an enclosed paper storage accordian in the front that stores so much paper that I won't need to invest in a separate paper storage caddy!

Of course I needed to invest in some acid free markers to decorate and write on my pages, so I tried out the new BIC Mark-It and the BIC Mark-It Ultra Fine to write with.

I picked up some 12x12 paper and an album at Walmart, but I found some better deals at Amazon once I got home and did some research. The Dmd Designer Printed Paper Pack 100/Package has 100 pages in the pack with some great prints on them! My next album will also be the Die Cuts With A View AL013010 12-by-12-Inch Once Upon A Time Memory Album with Glitter Accents. I'm also hoping someone has a baby girl soon to give me an excuse to buy this cute pink Carter's Sweet Baby Girl Large Photo Album!

For mounting my photos and embellishments, I've found the Pioneer AM-350 Auto Mounts Dispenser with 350 Photo-Mounting Double-Sided Self-Adhesive Squares worked really well and are acid free!

Eventually I'll invest in getting some border punches like the Fiskars Border and Corner Punch, but I'll hold on some of those until I run out of ideas using the basics!

There you have it! A quick rundown on why I haven't gotten around to blogging much lately! I hope I inspired some of you to learn more of God and share His glory with others in a creative way! If you already have been faithbooking, or start one, please be sure to share them with me! I'd love to see what you've been working on!

What is it about our pasts that haunt us and keep us trapped in chains? Why is it that when you're the one who was wronged, you have a greater tendency to avoid those that have wronged you as if somehow you are the culprit?

It took me a long time to figure out that it was me who was allowing myself to be wrapped in those chains rather than setting myself free. I have recently taken steps to allow myself to rediscover that not only am I worthy of His love, but that I did not deserve to be subjected to such hurtful and demeaning acts. As we go through our journey in life, there will be many people that will hurt us in one way or another. As sad as it is for people to feel that they can go through life treating others this way, it is much sadder to deprive ourselves of what God intended for us to have in this journey called life. "At times, others may treat us disrespectfully, but we can be certain of our dignity and worth because we have been created in the image of God". You won't always get that apology you feel you deserve, nor will you always see karma at work or have the satisfaction of having all truths revealed, but we should never forget that we mean everything to our creator. Continue to "love thy enemy" for we are taught that there is no honor in loving those who love us back, but rather that there is great honor in loving those that wrong us. Trust that all will be put right in its due course, and that even though all your prayers may not be answered, all of the ones that SHOULD be answered in accordance to His divine plan will be!

I want to thank all of those that helped me face my ghosts from my past, and most importantly, helped me get back on track in my spiritual life! You know who you are! I couldn't have done it without you! I know it couldn't have been easy!

Yes, I've been a bad girl! Old habits die hard, don't they? Almost as soon as I made the transition over here from LJ, I reverted back to it! Well, after another glitch on their side, I finally decided to shut LJ down! So there you have it, no more bouncing back and forth! As a part of my spring cleaning regime, I've cancelled LJ! So to keep in line with the spirit of spring cleaning and my re-introduction to blogspot, how about a hands-on review on...cleaning supplies! YAY!






Now don't go running for the hills just yet. This is one of my newest additions to my Going Clean Green lineup! Of all of the dish detergents I've tried to date, Earth Friendly Products Natural Spa Dish Soap has been my favorite so far. Not only is it great at cleaning up the grimy grease, but it leaves my hands nice and soft! Oh, and the lemongrass scent is a great perk! The price may be a bit daunting for some, but I will say that a little bit really does go a long way with this product. And who can put a price tag on helping to save the environment, right? Did I mention it leaves your hands super soft? :)

Earth Friendly Products Natural Spa Dish Soap

What an awesome read! While it was heartbreaking to see children suffer from the irresponsible actions of their addict-parents, it was inspiring to see these brave little souls overcome the crazy obstacles that an unstable childhood threw at them. It makes you just want to grab them and hug them! Children that are forced to grow up at such a young age just breaks my heart, but when you see them beat the odds it makes you want to jump up and do a victory dance for them! I couldn't help but Google Jeannette after finishing this book to learn of all of the accomplishments she's achieved even in the face of such adversity, and was surprised to find out that I've seen her countless times on MSNBC and would have never guessed that she had such a rough time growing up!

The Glass Castle: A Memoir-Paperback
The Glass Castle: A Memoir-Kindle Edition